Woman dies after shark attack near Gran Canaria
The victim, who is said to have been a crew member on a British boat, died while being transferred to hospital, local media reported.
A woman has died after losing a leg in a shark attack in international waters near Gran Canaria, according to reports.
The victim, believed to be from Germany and in her 30s, is said to have been travelling on a British-flagged boat when the incident happened on Monday.
She was a crew member on the Dalliance Chichester catamaran, reported the Atlantico Hoy newspaper.
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Spanish coastguard officials were contacted on Monday afternoon by the boat, which was said to be sitting in waters around 278 miles southwest of Gran Canaria’s airport.
According to tracking data, the catamaran had left Las Palmas on Saturday and was travelling along the coast of Western Sahara – a disputed territory to the southwest of Morocco – at the time.
The woman is said to have died in a Spanish helicopter while being transferred to hospital.
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She was officially declared dead at the Doctor Negrin Hospital in Gran Canaria after arriving at 11.05pm.
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The British coastguard has been informed about the incident due to the origin of the boat.
Shark attacks around the Canary Islands are rare, with only six confirmed unprovoked shark attacks recorded, according to the International Shark Attack File, maintained by the Florida Museum of Natural History.
